gyro
Pluralgyros
- 1A Greek-style sandwich made with grilled meat, tomato, onions, and tzatziki sauce, usually wrapped in pita bread.
The corner diner sells a lamb gyro that locals line up for at noon.
He folded the warm pita around the meat and turned it into a proper gyro.
Note
Turning meat gave the sandwich its name. Greek gýros, modeled on Turkish döner, refers to meat rotating on a spit. English heard gyros as a plural and back-formed a singular from it, so you order a gyro and a table of friends orders gyros.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The sandwich's name refers to the meat turning on a spit, and Greek gýros is modeled on Turkish döner. en.wiktionary.org
- English interpreted gyros as plural and back-formed the singular gyro. en.wiktionary.org
- 2SayJY-rohUS/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹoʊ/UK/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəʊ/A gyroscope: a device that resists or senses changes in orientation, classically a fast-spinning wheel and now often an electronic sensor, used to keep things steady or indicate direction.
Engineers tested the gyro to see how well it held the platform steady.
The pilot waited for the attitude gyro to spin up before starting the takeoff roll.
Similargyroscope
Note
Clipped speech made this word. It began as a shortening of gyroscope, and the same short form now also names related spinning-wheel instruments, including the ship's compass, so the setting usually tells you which device is meant. Despite the identical spelling, the Greek sandwich came into English by a separate route and is a different word.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- The instrument word gyro originated as a shortening of gyroscope. en.wiktionary.org
- The sandwich word entered English through a separate route from the instrument word. en.wiktionary.org
- 3SayJY-rohUS/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹoʊ/UK/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəʊ/A non-magnetic compass that relies on a fast-spinning wheel to find and hold true north, used mainly aboard ships.
The helmsman steered by the gyro after the magnetic compass began acting up.
Each watch, the officer compared the gyro against a star sight to confirm the heading.
Similargyrocompass
- 4SayJY-rohUS/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹoʊ/UK/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəʊ/A type of aircraft that gets its lift from a freely turning overhead rotor, while an engine-driven propeller provides the forward thrust.
She trained for months before flying the gyro solo over the coast.
The little gyro climbed slowly but handled the crosswind with ease.
- 5SayJY-rohUS/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹoʊ/UK/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəʊ/On a BMX bike, a rotor mechanism that lets the handlebars and front wheel make a full turn without twisting the rear brake cable.
With a gyro on his bike, he could finally land a full barspin.
The shop adjusted her gyro so the rear brake still grabbed firmly after the upgrade.
Similardetangler
Note
A freestyle BMX part that is also called a detangler. It sits at the head tube and splits the rear brake cable into upper and lower halves around a rotating plate. That lets the bars spin again and again without winding the cable up. Riders and bicycle shops use either name for the same part.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- A gyro is a freestyle BMX component also called a detangler. en.wikipedia.org
- The mechanism sits at the head tube and connects upper and lower rear brake cables through a rotating plate assembly. parktool.com
- The mechanism permits repeated handlebar rotations without tangling the brake cable. en.wikipedia.org
Practice
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Origins
Originally a shortening of "gyroscope" (and later "gyrocompass" and "autogyro"); the BMX sense comes from Gyro, a trademark of Odyssey BMX.
English took gyro from gyros by dropping the -s, as though gyros were a plural. Greek γύρος (gýros) refers to meat that turns on a spit as it roasts, and the Greek name is a calque of Turkish döner. Gyro, gyre, and gyrus are doublets.